A new scorpion king has been crowned as Western United defeated the Wanderers 3-2 at home.
It was a cagey opening as Western United were afforded more of the ball in forward areas, earning several corners as the Wanderers struggled to create effective possession.
The first distinct opportunity came from the head of Prijović, who with a clear sight on goal failed to put it past Daniel Margush.
The floodgates would open in the 28th minute as a long ball played by Josh Risdon found the feet of Prijović who chipped it over Margush for Western United’s opener.
Western United continue to pepper the goal of the Wanderers, leading to the second as goalscorer Prijović tee-d it up for Ben Garuccio, neatly finishing away in the bottom corner to make it two for Western United.
A spark arrived for the Wanderers in the form of a handball off of Tomoki Imai leading to a Hemed penalty goal, as they looked to reintegrate themselves into the fold at the start of the second half.
A miraculous save from Jamie Young following a Tomer Hemed volley soon after led to a momentum shift in the way of the Wanderers which was cut out by a miraculous and unbelievable scorpion kick from Ben Garuccio.
Steven Ugarkovic’s well timed strike led to an intriguing final few minutes as the Wanderers pressed high in attempts to spoil the party and grab a late equaliser.
Western United subsequently ran home to a 3-2 victory, returning to the summit of the A-League Men once more.
Key Takeaways:
BEN GARUCCIO: THE NEW SCORPION KING
Ben Gaurrico has scored the goal of the season thus far, the first scorpion kick since Riley McGree in the domestic top flight and also bagged a brace at home. It caps off what has been a tremendous start to the season for the Adelaide-born left-back who after struggling for game-time at Melbourne City signed for the Green and Black and has been a consistent performer since.
From suffering a potentially career altering injury at his time at Hearts in Scotland to likely making world headlines, it has been quite the journey for the defender.
PRIJOVIĆ HAS ARRIVED
He was touted as one of the best striking prospects to enter Australian shores this season, yet despite a slow start Aleksander Prijovic has scored three goals in four games.
It demonstrates Western United’s willingness to bide their time with the Serbian who has done his bit to keep busy backup striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls rooted to the bench. With United returning to the top on the table and more pieces to return such as Connor Pain, they are shaping up to be a clinical side as the league moves into the second half of the season.
WANDERERS SPRING TO LIFE IN SECOND HALF
Having not scored for nearly three months, Tomer Hemed after a lacklustre first half made himself a dangerous presence up top. However, he wasn’t able to put away several chances despite the acrobatics from Jamie Young. The second half encapsulates largely the on-pitch struggles for the Wanderers this under Rudan thus far.
It’s a struggle to score goals at the best of times, lapses in defensive concentration and an overall fight and desire which has unfortunately been overshadowed by the present bleak and unfortunate situation for the football club.
FINAL SCORE:
A-League Men, AAMI Park
Western United 3 (Prijović 27m, Garuccio 45+1m, 68m)
Western Sydney Wanderers 2 (Hemed 51m, Ugarkovic 86m)
